Field of the Invention
This invention relates to powered flight, and more specifically to a vertical take-off and flight control aircraft and flight method.
Description of Related Art
There are generally three types of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) configurations: wing type configurations having a fuselage with rotatable wings and engines or fixed wings with vectored thrust engines for vertical and horizontal translational flight; helicopter type configuration having a fuselage with a rotor mounted above which provides lift and thrust; and ducted type configurations having a fuselage with a ducted rotor system which provides translational flight as well as vertical takeoff and landing capabilities.
With VTOL aircraft, significantly more thrust may be required for takeoff and landing operations than during regular forward flight. This extra thrust may also be required during the transitions between vertical and horizontal flight. In the case of propeller driven aircraft, for example, with a plurality of pivoting thrust units using propellers for takeoff, some or many of these thrust units may be idled during regular, horizontal forward flight.
What is called for is a thrust unit utilizing a propeller which allows for rotation of the thrust unit from a position of vertical thrust to a position wherein the thrust unit provides horizontal thrust. What is also called for is a thrust unit which is capable of stowing the propeller blades completely, into a nested configuration.